History shows ‘henna’ or ‘mehndi’ is over
9000 years old and that the art of henna art has been practiced for over 5000
years in South Asia, Africa, and Middle East. Henna has natural cooling
properties; therefore, people in the warmer climates used to put henna paste of
the palm of their hands and soles of their feet to get an air conditioning
affect. Later on making decorative designs with the paste came in to effect.
The poor wore henna as a sort of jewellery
in those times as they could not afford the gold and silver to adorn
themselves; whereas, the rich wore it for decorative purpose.
Henna has been used for centuries to dye
skin, hair, and fingernails but also to dye fabrics like silk, wool, and
leather.
Medicinal Properties
Henna is a plant, is considered an herb,
and has long been known to have healing properties. In ancient times it has
been used to cure headaches, stomach pains, burns (including sunburns) open
wounds, as a fever reducer, and to prevent hair loss. It is also a natural
sunblock and is still used on animals’ noses to prevent them from getting
sunburn.
Traditions
Henna holds special traditional
significances and practices in cultures around South Asia, Africa, and Middle
East. A common practice is to decorate the hands of the bride with henna. In
South Asian culture, adorning the hands of a bride or a married woman is a sign
of prosperity and success but most importantly a sign of her “Suhaag” – of her
being married. Also traditionally, it was believed that as long as the henna
colour appears on the bride’s hands, she doesn’t have to do house work.
There are many superstitions attached to
henna when it comes to a South Asian married woman. And although many people
don’t believe these superstitions, there are many that do.
For example, the darker the colour of henna
on the bride, the better the marriage; the darker the stain on her feet, the better
the mother-in-law will be; and the darker the colour on her hands, the more
loving husband she’ll have.
